School District seeks ways to house teachers in San Francisco

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A property eyed for teacher housing will become a child care center at the request of the surrounding neighbors, while a second property will begin preparations for a residential conversion, San Francisco Unified School District officials said Sunday.

The district has been discussing teacher housing for years. Knowing that the high cost of renting or owning a home in San Francisco can affect teachers dramatically, the district has been exploring options to offer them housing subsidies.

Today, the district will discuss the fate of two properties, 1155 Page St. and 1950 Mission St.

According to Board of Education President Hydra Mendoza, the Page Street property — the smaller of the two — in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood is expected to be turned into a child care center rather than homes for teachers. She said the neighborhood preferred child care over more homes.

"There are demands for child care," Mendoza said, "and we’d like as much community support as possible, so we’re looking at a private vendor for child care."

The building, which has not been used for day care in roughly four years, needs repair work, Mendoza said. The district will ask nonprofits or private businesses for ideas on how to convert the space.

At 1950 Mission St., though, the plan is to convert the property into some sort of residential housing that benefits teachers.

Mendoza said that could be discounted housing for teachers or market-value and low-income homes that would be rented to the greater public. The revenue made from the rents would go into a fund that could subsidize teachers living in San Francisco.

Nearly one-third of San Francisco’s 4,587 public school teachers live outside The City, according to the United Educators of San Francisco. Additionally, 75 percent of the 1,463 teacher aides — known as paraprofessionals — commute from around the Bay Area.

Teacher pay is based on years of experience and additional credential hours. According to the SFUSD, a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree makes a base salary of $47,000 annually.

Mendoza said the need is what drives the discussion.

"It’s exciting we’re getting to this point," she said. "There’s so much potential."

District officials will discuss both properties today and make a recommendation to the Board of Education to vote later this spring.